Meniscusshaped

Meniscus-shaped is an adjective used to describe anything that has the curved, crescent-like profile of a meniscus. The term is widely used in science and engineering to indicate a surface or boundary that resembles the crescent form of the classical liquid meniscus, which results from the balance of cohesive and adhesive forces. The shape can be concave or convex depending on the liquid and the container material.

In fluid mechanics, a liquid in contact with a solid forms a meniscus along the container wall. Water in a glass typically shows a concave meniscus, while mercury in glass forms a convex one. The term can also describe three-dimensional bodies whose cross-section or overall silhouette approximates a crescent.

In anatomy, the knee contains two crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structures—the medial and lateral menisci—that cushion and stabilize the joint. The term is also used in materials science, architecture, and art to denote crescent-like forms or cross-sections.

Usage notes: the conventional spelling is meniscus-shaped with a hyphen; “meniscusshaped” is nonstandard.